The Haus der Statistik is a GDR-era office building from the 1970s in Alexanderplatz, previously destined for demolition. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the building fell into a state of neglect. Various proposals for its redevelopment were discussed, but none came to fruition, and the building remained unused, becoming a symbol of post-reunification challenges in urban planning and development. In the late 2010s, a significant shift occurred driven by community and cultural stakeholders. Artists, cultural organisations, and local activists recognised the potential of the building as a space for creative and community-driven uses. They began advocating for its preservation and redevelopment. Responding to this grassroots movement, the City of Berlin took a more active role in the redevelopment process. There is currently a revitalisation initiative for the building, envisioning and negotiating its conversion into a mix of affordable living and working spaces. 

The Seirensho Art Museum is located on Inujima island at the Seto Inland Sea in Japan and works with the sun, the wind and the found industrial ruins and byproducts (all what Sambuichi calls “moving materials”), to salvage the post-industrial site of a copper refinery and create a visitor experience guided by the natural elements.

Test Site is a collaborative community-based project that enables public engagement with architecture, ecology, sustainable urban landscapes and community-organized events. The project takes a vacant site in Kyrl’s Quay, Cork, and through small interventions and events programming brings life and use back into the place.

The Dordtyart project uses waste materials to temporarily repurpose the former De Biesbosch ship machinery factory into a museum and a facility for creating contemporary sculptural artworks. Situated in the ‘de Staart’ redevelopment area of Dordrecht, this space serves not only as an exhibition venue and a production centre but also functions as a vocational training institute, offering work experience opportunities to Dordrecht residents who are currently outside the job market.

The project is an extension of a 1950s office tower in Berlin with a twofold goal: to reconnect the isolated tower with the (current and historical) city fabric and to become a prototype of exemplary energy performance for office buildings. The new connection to context is achieved through a heterogenous composition of volumes that take cues both from the baroque layer of the city (plinth) and from the late modernist layer (slab). The energy performance concept is based on a double skin concept and an aerodynamic ventilation fin at the top of the slab.

The C10 Tower was originally built in the 1960s. In 2008 Staab Architekten undertook the refurbishment and renovation of the building, with a focus on building performance.

The Sanya Mangrove Park project exemplifies a holistic approach to climate change adaptation, addressing the intersection of ENVIRONMENTAL degradation, urban development, and green and blue INFRASTRUCTURE. Situated in Sanya, China’s Hainan Province, the project transforms a former landfill enclosed by concrete flood walls into a thriving mangrove ecosystem and public park. Through innovative design strategies such as interlocking finger-like landforms and terraced landscapes, the project attempts to mitigate the impact of annual tropical monsoon storms and pollution while enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services. Moreover, its emphasis on public accessibility and community engagement fosters a sense of environmental stewardship and resilience among residents,

The Margretheholm islet located in Copenhagen served as the residence of the Danish Navy for several centuries. The constable school building, originating from 1939, had remained deserted for many years, displaying significant signs of deterioration. With a relatively small budget, the project was to work with adaptive reuse with the listed structure, transforming it to function as cost-effective student apartments. The adopted approach involved preserving the building’s original and weathered characteristics, with a deliberate emphasis on accentuating the dichotomy between the new additions and the historical elements. The subsequent apartments in the Constable School are an award-winning transformation project prolonging the existing building’s life, embedding the cultural heritage and ensuring carbon stays within the buildings while reducing the need for new materials, resources and waste production from demolition.

A community led housing project to create affordable homes through a regeneration of an existing, largely vacant neighbourhood. Renovation, public realm, street improvement, public involvement and engagement are key topics. The Granby Four Streets encompass a group of terraced houses in Toxteth, Liverpool, constructed around 1900 to provide housing for skilled labourers. Following the 1981 Toxteth riots, the local council acquired many of these houses to demolish and redevelop the area. This led to the relocation of numerous residents and the subsequent deterioration of the houses. Nevertheless, there remained a strong sense of community both before and after the riots. This community's origins can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s, but challenging circumstances affected Liverpool, particularly Toxteth, due to a significant decline in the city, notably following the riots in the 1980s, which prompted many residents to leave. Today, the community members themselves are taking the initiative to revitalize their area. A dedicated group of organized residents has spearheaded initiatives that are starting to yield positive results, breathing new life into their streets.

Enghaveparken has transformed remarkably into one of Copenhagen's most expansive climate-oriented redevelopments. Central to this transformation is a considerable water reservoir encompassing 22,600 cubic meters; it is welldesigned to address the considerable challenges of flooding in the city's present and anticipated future.

The Chilean government approached ELEMENTAL with the brief of designing affordable social housing on a site historically used for dense informal and illegal housing. The project responds to the Chilean government’s social housing project “Vivienda Social Dinámica sin Deuda (Dynamic Social Housing Without Debt), the goal was to create social housing which increases in value over time, therefore combatting poverty.

Adaptability ensures that infrastructures keep meeting an individual’s, community’s and society’s changing needs over time, but also includes adapting to a changing climate. Adaptability ensures longevity: it reduces risk of premature building obsolesce and demolition when they no longer meet our needs (because they can be adapted) – this is part of circular thinking and climate change mitigation and adaptation approaches. Adaptability reduces transient communities and supports stability, diversity and community cohesion, this is also part of creating inclusive and equitable infrastructures and long-term resilience. As such your project should put adaptability at its core, at micro, meso and macro-scale. A key aspect of this is the creation of different scenarios and personas over time (e.g., scenarios of possible functions, changing climate, modes of use, etc.) and reflect this in at least one alternative layout (i.e. design) scenario for your project. Ensure that your project also enables future adaptability at different scales.

Green infrastructure is the network of natural green spaces and landscapes within and around urban environments, such as food-growing areas, wetlands, forests, parks and wildlife gardens. Green infrastructure supports biodiversity, enhances ecosystem health, absorbs CO2 and manages adaptations to a changing climate (e.g. flood prevention and overheating). Co-benefits are supporting social activity and human well-being. Your project must tread lightly: after all, placing a new structure is hugely disruptive, as the developed land will have lost its existing ecological value forever. Your choice of site is therefore vital and value and protect existing natural habitats and leave the place better than it was before (i.e. retorative action). To do that, create a green infrastructure plan for your project that identifies and creates a map of the potential impact of your design on existing green infrastructure and on stakeholders and propose remedial measures to ensure a restorative approach. Distribute green spaces of different scales and diversity throughout the city within short walking distances and connect wildlife habitats through parks with green corridors and pedestrian spaces. Prioritise views of nature and trees, integrating generous physical access to different kinds and scales of nature for human and non-humans.

The redesign of the Everyman Theatre was no easy task. It is a newly built naturally ventilated theatre building in the middle of Liverpool with a strong link to the past and ambitious environmental goals, designed by the architects together with engineers, theatre staff and the public. It uses an earth tube in a large air plenum (void space) under the building to cool (and in winter pre-heat) the spaces that acoustically separates the spaces from the urban soundscape. Everyman is fitted with an airtight and well insulated envelope and together with the natural ventilation, the theatre manages to run with significantly less energy, compared to other performance spaces. The architects have run a post-occupancy evaluation report in 2021, and it reveals that both the staff, and customers are extremely happy with the new theatre.

Key points in material selection include aligning with the environment, socio-cultural factors, and economics, while also focusing on local availability, craftsmanship, and construction methods. Priority lies in minimizing resource use, opting for non-toxic, low-energy, and low-carbon materials, like carbon-sequestering timber. Attention to human health and regional construction practices is crucial.

Local availability and climatic suitability often dictate material choices. Investigate local artisans, existing solutions, and production processes for improvements.

To prevent over-harvesting, explore nearby renewable material sources with clean extraction. Certified materials, like FSC timber, uphold sustainability.

Reuse is paramount; existing structures and materials should be considered first. Urban mining views buildings as material banks, advocating for reuse and repurposing of anthropogenic materials. To source reused materials, create a harvest map detailing resources from demolished buildings, recycling centers, and local surpluses.

Self-sustaining design approaches at their core, these approaches embrace a holistic philosophy that seeks to harmonize human habitats with the natural world while reducing resource consumption and minimizing environmental impact.

Central to this concept is the aim to achieve self-sufficiency, wherein buildings generate their energy and resources, striving for net-zero or even positive energy balance. This involves integrating renewable energy sources such as solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal systems, coupled with innovative energy storage solutions.

Passive design strategies play a vital role, leveraging the local climate and environment to optimize heating, cooling, and lighting without heavy reliance on mechanical systems. Water conservation is also paramount, employing techniques like rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, and efficient irrigation.

Materials selection takes on a sustainable ethos, favouring eco-friendly and locally sourced options to reduce embodied energy and minimize transportation impact.

Circular design approaches embrace the principles of circular economy, aiming to minimize waste and optimize resource usage throughout a building's lifecycle. This innovative approach challenges the traditional linear "take-make-dispose" model by promoting a closed-loop system. Architectural circularity involves designing structures that prioritize durability, adaptability, and ease of disassembly. Materials are chosen based on their potential for reuse, recycling, or upcycling, reducing the depletion of virgin resources and curbing environmental impact. They also emphasize modular construction, enabling components to be easily replaced or repurposed as needs evolve. This approach extends the lifespan of buildings, enhances their resilience, and reduces demolition waste.

This talk explores end-of-life scenarios in architectural design, highlighting five essential factors. Firstly, embracing uncertainty in future design involves envisioning diverse scenarios considering climate, life cycles, and technology. Feasible end-of-life plans require mapping structures, recycling options, and user preferences. Climate emergencies call for adaptable solutions with flexibility and reversibility. Secondly, "design for disassembly" advocates creating reusable material banks through systematic dismantling, favouring modularity and prefabrication. Thirdly, recognizing varying element lifespans informs organized design layers for efficient maintenance and disassembly. Fourthly, design principles like modular structures, open systems, and durable joints ensure non-toxic, recyclable materials. Lastly, extending a building's life entails user, maintenance, and disassembly manuals, alongside material passports for informed reuse. Overall, there should be emphasis on foresight, adaptability, and systematic approaches to enhance sustainable architectural practices.

Designing for flexibility in constructing long-lasting buildings aims to create structures that can effectively adapt to changing circumstances, whether due to demographic shifts, climatic variations, or evolving functions. To achieve this, a flexible building should efficiently accommodate diverse scenarios and potential changes without requiring significant alterations. The approach encompasses adaptability, transformability, and convertibility – all contributing to a resilient structure. Designing for climate change adaptation involves incorporating appropriate architectural solutions to withstand disasters and enable swift reconstruction. This necessitates open-ended designs with robust load-bearing capacities, modular expandability, and energy-efficient systems. Moreover, the concept extends to user-centric adaptations, encouraging easy separations and open layouts. Key factors encompass optimal room dimensions, accessible designs, avoidance of built-in fixtures, and effective energy and infrastructure planning. Emphasizing reversible construction and disassembly adds to the approach's sustainability

Three key soft strategies for flood management include living shorelines, dunes and beach nourishment, and floating wetlands. Soft strategies emphasize enables effective flood management through holistic, nature-based solutions to mitigate flooding risks. They are gaining popularity due to their restorative nature, and are often paired with hard strategies for hybrid solutions. These strategies provide habitat for biodiversity and can serve as recreational spaces, although human disruption remains a concern.

• Living shorelines are inclined natural banks with vegetation and natural materials that lessen wave impact, best suited for moderate flooding when combined with levees.

• Dunes act as natural barriers, but proper vegetation is essential for stability. Armored dunes can enhance protection but need careful design.

• Beach nourishment widens beaches, reducing erosion and storm surge impact, although its effectiveness varies. Designing these strategies involves protecting vegetation, creating paths, and setting back development.

• Floating wetlands, made of buoyant materials, are adaptable and best for sheltered waters. They rise with floodwaters, filter pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat.

Challenges for soft strategies include extreme weather limitations, maintenance costs, and technical expertise. Opportunities lie in ecological benefits, affordability, community involvement, and environmental enhancement.